All Of Their Chances
by Miss Crookshanks
Summary: Jack and Zack had many chances to be happy, but they never took up on the chances. This is a list of just how many chances the two of them had, and missed.
1. Irrationality

The night after Zach punched Jack things were tense between them on the car ride home. Zach kept apologizing at random intervals for making Jack's nose bleed.

"You know, if you keep it up I'll make your nose bleed." Jack said, hitting the brakes with a bit more force than nessecary in the driveway. He turned to glare at Zack.

"Sorry," Zach said again, shrinking into the door.

"And there you go again, you scrawny twit. You just don't know when to stop saying sorry!" Jack finished pulling into the garage and shut off the car, still ranting. He got out and slammed the door, Zack scrambling to follow him.

"I do know when not to say sorry," Zack countered.

"No, you don't, because you keep saying it when all it does is annoy me even more!"

"Rationally saying sorry should make you less annoyed."

"Since when were emotions rational?" Jack shouted, turning around to get up in Zack's face. The youth took a step back. His brilliant mind began to race, searching for an answer.

"They are nearly never rational, but-,"

"Exactly!" Jack said, flinging his arms out. "Emotions aren't rational!"

"So, if emotions aren't rational," Zack was quickly making connections in his mind.

"Where are you going with this Zack? There isn't any connection to make!" Jack shouted.

"Yes there is." Zack stepped forward and pressed jack against the wall with a kiss.

"Woah." Jack said when Zack backed up.

"You said that emotions weren't rational."

"yeah, but, I didn't, dude, this is different."

Zack screwed his face up in concentration for a moment, his lips red and swollen from the kiss. "How is this different?"

"Because, well, because being angry with you is something really different Zack."

"I am not understanding, Hodgins."

"Oh, for christ's sake!" Jack said, grabbing the younger boy's face between his hands and kissing him again. Zack's breathing was ragged when he and jack separated the second time.

"The difference is because I like you too, Zack."

"Oh." Zack said, screwing up his face to think again. "Does that mean we can keep kissing?"

"Sure, Buddy, but let's move inside, huh?"

Zack nodded and followed Jack up to the main house.

"Zack, is that eye going to impair your ability to work?" Brennan said the next morning, being the first to comment on Zack's beat up state.

"No, Dr. Brennan, I still retain full optics."

Angela caught up with jack after they started in on the body, probing him for answers that Zack hadn't given.

"So, how'd you get all beat up?" she asked, leaning against his work station.

"Oh, this and that," Jack said, dismissing it with a wave of his hand.

"Then what was this and what was _that_?" Angela said, pointing at Zack.

"Hey, we can't be rational 24/7." Jack smiled up at Angela before running off to follow Zack. Nobody say them for twenty minutes, but when they came back there was obvious swelling to Zack's lips and a new set of marks on Jack's neck.

"Well, sweetie, good luck getting them to focus if we leave them alone." Angela said to Brennan.

"I have to agree." Cam said, peering around Angela to watch Jack and Zack. "They do make a cute couple though."

"I would have to agree, though from an anthropological stance-,"

"Sweetie, drop it, you're stuck with them." Angela said.

"Zack and Jack are an item. Let them be happy for a while." Cam added.

"As long as it doesn't affect their work." Brennan shrugged.

"Hey! You two! One sneak off every two hours, got it?" Cam shouted.

"That works for me!" Jack shouted as Zack promptly blushed. "What? Did you think we could hide it?"

"I was hoping that they would all just assume we had a fight."

"Bite marks." Brennan called out.

"Shoot." Zack said, eyeing Jack's neck.

**A/N: thank you for tuning in for the first instalement of my latest story! **

**this is from Season 2 Episode 8 The Woman int he Sand**

**(Yes, these will likely be out of order.)**


	2. Stay With Me

Jack peered through the microscope lenses at the fleck Brennan had pulled out of his knee. He blinked, the drugs he had taken blurring his vision.

"I went to visit you at the hospital, but you weren't there." Angela said, walking up to him. "Brought you this," she said, tossing a teddy bear on the table.

"They let me go home." He said, blinking again to peer through the lenses.

"You left against medical advice and stole a pair of crutches which I had to pay for."

"I paid for them." Zack said, coming up and dropping his bag on the floor.

"Fine, sweetie, you paid for them." Angela said, rolling her eyes. "Now come on, I'm taking you two home."

Jack began to protest, but Angela wouldn't hear any of it. Zack carried all of Jack's things out to the car and helped him get in. He sat in the passenger seat of Angela's car and prepared for the drive. Jack knew better than to try to talk to him after dark. Angela pulled into the driveway and parked the car.

"Here, I'll take your bags in." Angela said, grabbing both Zack's and Jack's bags and hurrying off, leaving Zack to help the temporarily invalid Jack out of the back of Angela's car.

Both grunted as Zack lifted Jack to his feet, jack's arms wrapped around his neck and face pressed against his. He maneuvered onto his crutches easily enough, stopping to pant for a moment.

"Thanks, buddy." He gasped, beginning to swing forward and move up the walkway. Zack followed him like a lost puppy.

"Are you sure you shouldn't go back to the hospital?" Zack asked.

"Yes, I'm sure, Zack."

Zack chewed on his lips as he followed Jack all the way up to the big house, Angela slipping past them through the bushes and back to her car. At the front door, Zack opened it for Jack and stepped back.

"Um, goodnight," he said, turning around to go back towards the garage.

"Zack, stay, please," turning around, the intern saw the entomologist staring after him with large, baleful eyes.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to be alone."

"Why?"

"Because I'm afraid that every time I blink I'm going to be back in that car, running out of air." Jack began to cry, shifting all of his weight to one crutch to swipe at his face. Zack walked back quickly, wiping away Jack's tears himself.

"You're not going to be back in that car, cause we got you out. I figured out your message." Zack whispered.

"But how do I know?" Jack sobbed. Zack was at a loss of what to do.

"I can stay with you. Then you won't be alone."

Jack sniffed and nodded. Zack led the way into the house, seeing that Angela had left his bag in the hall. He closed the door behind Jack and picked up the bags, following him as he navigated his way through the halls to a room with a massive couch. Jack collapsed onto the couch and leaned his head back. Zack dropped his bag back on the floor and took Jack's crutches to lean against the chair on the other side of the room.

"You should be lying down," zack said, standing over Jack.

"Then help me move." Jack said, grunting as he tried to turn himself into the couch's embrace. Zack went for his legs, lifting them delicately onto the couch and propping the injured one up on a pillow. "You moved my crutches too far away."

"I did that on purpose."

"You're too good to me."

Zack went over to the cupboards around the giant TV and poked around, finding some Star Trek discs and putting one in.

"Do you want something to eat?"

"A sandwich…"

"Where's the kitchen?"

"Through there, just keep going straight. Everything is between the fridge and the sink."

Zack came back fifteen minutes later, balancing two plates and two bottle of water. He set one of the plates on Jack's chest and sitting on the floor next to him with his own.

"Wouldn't you be more comfortable elsewhere?"

"I wouldn't be close enough to you if you fell asleep and woke up scared again."

"Oh."

For two hours Zack and Jack sat in the room, the younger of the pair falling asleep partway through the movie with his head on the edge of the couch, and the older carding his fingers through his hair as he slept. Gently leaning over, Jack pressed his lips to the top of his head.

"Thank you staying with me, Zack."

"You're welcome."

**A/N: i thought it was a sweet ending.**

**For Season 2 Episode 9 Two Aliens in a Spaceship**


	3. Love Me Tender, Love Me Quick

**A/N: This one is for Season 2 Episode 10, The Headless Witch in the Woods. **

**Enjoy!**

Zack woke up screaming again. He stared into the darkness of his room as his heart raced at a speed that was not normal during rest. Echoing in his mind he heard the screams of the girl from the tapes again, the shrill tones chilling him to his bones. He had been unable to sleep through the night since the case had begun, a phenomenon he had not experienced since he was a very small child.

He jumped when the phone rang, and he scrambled to pick it up.

"H-Hello?"

"Zack? Are you okay down there, buddy? We could hear you scream all the way up here!" Jack asked quickly, other thumps and the soft sound of Angela's voice filling the silence around Jack's voice.

"Yeah, just, it was just a bad dream."

Zack heard a door close and most of the noise over the line disappeared as a door closed. "You can come spend the night with us if you want, Zack." Jack said in a soft voice. Zack pretended he could hear the concern in it, just to make him feel like the older scientist was more than just his friend.

"No, I'll be fine. It's just traumatic memories replaying themselves to be better ingrained in the memory for future reference as to what the body should run from."

"Alright. Good night, Zack."

"Good night, Hodgins. I appreciate your concern for my well being."

Jack hummed a bit before hanging up, leaving Zack to listen to the dial tone. Sighing he sat back and rubbed at his eyes. Tears had begun to form for a reason Zack could not understand, though he reluctantly succumbed to them and the tightening of his chest that accompanied them. It had become a common occurrence for him, even if he couldn't understand why.

The next morning Zack rode silently in Angela's car, a feat common for him, though the silence of everyone else, particularly Angela, was different. Zack didn't understand why Angela had told him to get in the front seat, when, as her current mate, Jack should have been honored with the seat closest to her, not forced to be cramped in the backseat with three bulky bags as Zack had been the night before. At the Jeffersonian structure, Jack tried to talk to Angela, but she raced off in the direction of the exit as soon as she locked her car.

"What has made Angela so annoyed?" Zack asked, staring after her in confusion.

"I have no idea, Zack," Jack said, running his hands through his hair. "We should get into the lab though."

"That would be a prudent idea." Zack replied, starting off towards the street as well, though not as quickly as Angela. Jack trudged along next to him, grumbling all the way until the two of them split off from each other to do their work.

After work was over Angela didn't offer to give Zack a ride home, though Jack had left his car the day before to drive both him and Zack home. He had cranked the radio up loudly, though Zack did not listen, rather doing his rituals to prevent himself from panicking in the car.

"Zack, come up to the big house with me. Stay the night. I know you lied last night, and neither of us want to be alone so why bother dancing around the subject?" Jack said as he got out of his car. Zack, taken slightly aback by the forward speech, nodded.

"Let me get a few things first," He said, scampering up the stairs to his apartment. His head was whirring as he tried to compute just what it was that Jack wanted. Tossing his toothbrush and a set of pajamas into a bag and stuffing that in the bag he took to work, Zack gulped as he prepared to come back down the stairs. He started down the stairs again to see Jack leaning against his car, waiting for him. For the moment when Jack still hadn't looked up Zack looked him up and down, taking in as many details as he could. The strength hidden under the lab coats and blazers, the not-quite alpha male body, and the mess of ginger curls that Zack so desperately wanted to run his fingers through. He managed to hold down his blush when Jack looked up and gestured for him to follow. They walked up the darkening path up to the big house, walking close together and jumping at shadows.

"Do you want to watch some Star Trek?" Jack asked, pulling Zack's bag off of his shoulder once they were in the door and dumping it on a velvet sofa in the entrance hall.

"Sure," Zack replied, following Jack through a series of doors into a room with a massive overstuffed black leather couch and flat screen TV, along with shelves and shelves of disks and gaming stations arrayed around the TV as if it were a shrine to some god of electronics. His jaw dropped at the sight.

"Yeah, pretty impressive, huh?" Jack said, wrapping his arm around Zack's shoulders. Zack nodded quickly, gulping as he realized that jack had his arm around him. "Pick anything. You hungry?" Jack had walked through an archway before Zack could respond. Slowly walking down one wall, Zack scanned all of the discs, finding The Wrath of Kahn and pulling the case out. Jack came back carrying two bottles of beer and a plate pilled with sandwiches. He smiled and placed them on the glass table.

"Pick something?"

"Yeah," Zack said, holding out the disc. Jack beamed at him and took the case from his hand. He messed with the machines around the TV, finally snatching two remotes from the great line of them directly under the screen. He came back towards the couch, laughing a bit when he saw that Zack was still standing.

"Sit down, buddy. The couch isn't going to eat you."

"That was never really a concern," Zack muttered, shuffling his feet as he looked down. Jack laughed and pushed Zack backwards onto the soft couch. He flopped down, sinking into the plush cushions. Jack flung himself next to him, his head on Zack's stomach. His muscles all went ridged and his mind blank.

"You don't mind, right Zack?"

"N-no."

"Good." Jack started the movie, turning his head towards the screen. Zack could feel the blush that covered his face, along with the outline of Jack's ear on his stomach.

They stayed in the same position until Jack leaned up to grab two sandwiches and one of the beers off of the table. Zack pushed himself up in the seat, bringing his feet up close to his body. Jack turned to look at him, holding out one of the sandwiches he had snagged.

"Are you okay, Zack?"

"I'm fine."

"You're acting weird."

"I am?"

"Yeah. Is there something I can do?"

_Kiss me. _"No."

"Alright. Try to relax a little, okay?"

"Okay," Zack said. Jack got up from the couch, walking over to the archway while giving Zack a good view of his ass on his way. He gulped again and pulled his sneakers off, turning sideways on the couch. He squeaked when the lights faded out.

"Calm down, Zack, I just like watching the TV with the lights out." Zack nodded silently, allowing himself to sink further into the cushions, nearly laid out on the couch. He almost could have sworn that Jack groaned as he came around the edge of the couch, before he dropped to the edge of it next to Zack's legs and laid back, resting his head on his stomach again. Zack stretched his legs out to make it easier for jack to get comfortable, not expecting the hand that gripped around his leg. Jack pulled himself up onto the couch using the leverage he had gained from gripping Zack's leg, not moving his hand once he was comfortable. Zack shifted himself, not expecting Jack to lean forward, the pressure on his leg returning.

"You done moving yet?" Jack asked, taking another swig of his beer.

He felt his blush deepen as he just scooted further down the couch so that his head wasn't propped up at an uncomfortable angle anymore. He was still then, allowing Jack to return to his position with his head on Zack's chest.

After the movie finished, Jack sat up, stretching. Zack sat up as well, but timing it badly and getting whacked in the face by Jack's descending hand.

"Zack! Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean, hang on, I'll go get some ice," Jack got up quickly, moving through the darkened room with a practiced ease. Zack sat a bit further up, turning so his back was supported by the cool black leather. Jack came back through, fading the lights of the room on part of the way. He was holding an ice pack in his hand, and put his hand of Zack's forehead, forcing his head back so that he could inspect it. Zack reached up and took Jack's hand down.

"I'm fine, you didn't really hit me-," Zack started, only to be silenced by Jack taking his face in between his hands, the ice pack dropping to the cushions. His blue eyes roved around his face as Zack's went wide. Their eyes met, Zack glancing down and Jack gulping. They moved away from each other, Zack rubbing at his face and Jack not seeming to quite know what to do with his hands.

"Do you want to watch the next one?"

"Sure."

Jack got up and moved over to the shelves, swiping the case and going over to mess with the electronics again. He returned everything to its previous state, getting another beer and turning out the lights before sitting down in the corner of the couch next to Zack. The younger man waited for Jack to get comfortable before crawling onto his lap. Neither of them said anything as they shifted until they were comfortable. Jack reached his hand up and began to stroke Zack's hair, while the other reached over to put his bottle on the table before threading his fingers through Zack's. His eyes closed as he pressed his face into Jack's chest.

"Zack," Jack groaned.

"Yes?" Zack said, opening his eyes and shifting to see Jack's face.

"You know what you're doing to me, right?"

"I don't, I-I'm not sure." Jack groaned in response, pushing up and bodily turning Zack around. He kissed him forcefully, pulling Zack in against him. Their kiss deepened and a more primal instinct took over, causing Zack to be straddling the older man with his arms around his neck by the time they broke for breath. Jack groaned and bucked his hips, running his hands up Zack's shirt.

"J-Jack?"

"Zack."

"I'm not sure what's going on other than what appears to be a lead up to intercourse."

"That's all that going on, Zack."

"Oh."

"Would you rather use a bed?"

"Yes."

"Hold on."

Jack hooked Zack's legs around his waist and stood up, carrying Zack out of the room and up the stairs to a bedroom, dropping him onto a large bed. Zack scrambled backwards onto the bed, turning to see Jack follow him. He was swept up in a passionate kiss, pulling Jack down on top of him.

"You're an eager little bugger." Jack whispered into Zack's ear, tracing it with his tongue and making Zack moan. Keeping his tongue busy with Zack's ear, Jack's hands dropped to the waistband of the jeans that were preventing him from getting to his goal. The buttons and fly of his jeans being undone, Zack moaned, his arms tightening around the older man's shoulders. Jack repeated the process, sighing in partial relief as the pressure against his engorged length eased off.

"Help me get your shirt off, Zack," he whispered, rolling the fabric of Zack's t-shirt in his hands. The youth arched his back, allowing Jack to pull his shirt over his head and shoulders. Suddenly presented with the new expanse of skin Jack's attention fell to the pale neck and chest of the boy beneath him, thumbs playing over taunt nipples and wordless noises encouraging him on. Zack began to scrabble at Jack's shirt as well, pulling it up out of Jack's waistband and over his back until the width of Jack's spread shoulders prevented them from coming off.

Chuckling low in his throat, Jack sat up and shed his shirt as he toed his shoes off, leaving both of them bare chested with undone flys. "Even laid out in front of me you are too cute for words, Zack." He said, his voice lower than normal as he leaned down over Zack again, biting his neck. The pain caused Zack to squawk and scrape his nails down Jack's back, leaving red trails of irritated skin in his wake. Jack growled and sat up, Zack's arms around his neck bringing him up with him.

"You sure you want this, Zack?" Jack whispered, beard scratching at Zack's chin.

"I want this very much."

"You're not going to regret it in the morning, right?" Zack paused for a moment, his eyes beginning to glaze over with thought. Jack nosed against his cheek, bringing him out of his haze.

"No, I'm not going to regret it," Zack said, looking into Jack's eyes and kissing him squarely on the lips.

As he pulled back Jack growled, and bodily threw Zack onto the bed again, this time with his head on the pillows. Zack let Jack take control, experiencing the pleasure of having someone want to touch his body and set his nerves aflame in ways he never thought to be possible. He lost track of what was going on slowly, not aware as Jack stripped him of his remaining clothing until the older man got up and shed the remainder of his clothing and started to dig around in the drawer next to the bed, completely naked. Zack hummed as he stared.

"Like what you see?"

"Very much."

Jack laughed and crawled back to Zack, giving him a deep kiss and running his hand from shoulder to thigh.

"C'mon, it's cold in here. Get under the blankets." Zack did as he was told, slipping between the smooth sheets, followed closely by Jack who pressed up against his back. A series of groping and marking activities followed, leaving both with marks that would easily bruise by morning.

"Alright, Zack, are you ready for the end?"

"But, if we end, then we don't still-,"

"We can still cuddle, Zack," Came the response, gently laughed into his ear.

"I guess I'm ready then…"

Jack grinned and kissed Zack's neck, spreading his legs as he did so. Gently he spread lube from a tube he had stowed under the pillow over his fingers and pressed them against Zack's hole. The eyes of the young man went wide and met Jack's.

"Th-there?"

"Aw, c'mon, don't tell me you don't know how two guys have sex."

"I-I thought it was like masturbation, but, just two instead-,"

"That's a way of doing it, but not the way I do it."

Zack fell silent as Jack pushed into him, gently loosening the tight muscle and kissing Zack while he did. Eventually Jack had two fingers inside Zack, scissoring gently as he passionately kissed him. He removed his fingers, noting that Zack moaned when he did. Jack smiled and lined himself up, gently pushing himself up to the hilt into Zack. The gasps and delicious other sounds the boy made caused Jack to moan himself and begin to move. Zack got louder and louder the longer it went.

"Jack, Jack, I'm, I'm gonna…"

"Go on, release it, Zack, let go."

Zack did as he was told to, his cum spurting between their bodies and coating both of them with the sticky substance. Jack held on until Zack finished, nipping his jaw as he began to come, his cock still buried up Zack's ass.

The two laid there for a moment, Zack willing to lie underneath Jack until the end of the world and Jack thinking about how impossible it was that he had just fucked his best friend.

"I feel sticky." Zack said, his eyes screwed closed, arms and legs still secure around Jack.

"I do too. Shower?"

"Yes please." Jack kissed Zack on the lips once more before moving up into a crouch, pulling out of and away from Zack. He moaned at the loss, opening his eyes and reaching for Jack. They embraced, sitting on the bed, Zack pressing his face into Jack's neck.

"C'mon, we'll go together, huh?"

Half an hour later, Zack was in the pajamas he had brought, his hair still damp. Jack caught up to him from behind and threw a towel over his head, trying to dry the floppy mess. When the towel was removed, Zack turned to scowl at his grinning companion before he was caught up in a deep kiss. The two fell into it, Zack easily wrapping his arms around Jack's neck and melting into the kiss.

"Bedtime. We've still got to figure out who killed the guy tomorrow, and Brennan will have our heads mounted if we're late or falling asleep." Jack whispered, half carrying Zack to the clean bed they had agreed to sleep in. Slipping under the covers, Jack laid on his back and put his hands behind his head. Zack followed, resting his head on Jack's shoulder and wrapping around him.

"This isn't just going to be a one-time thing, right?" Zack asked.

"Nah, if it was going to be a one time thing you'd be gone by now. I want this to stay, Zack. I want you to stay."

"So, I can move into the big house now, right?"

"Yeah, buddy. Pick a room. It'll be ours." Jack kissed the top of Zack's head before both fell asleep.

The next morning Brennan picked up on their change quickly, told Cam and Booth and tactfully avoided Angela all day. When finally confronted Brennan told her to ask Jack and ran out of the door.

"Um, Hodgins…" Zack said, watching a somewhat infuriated Angela marching towards where they had been making out in a back corner.

"Mm, what?"

"We're about to get hit."

"Huh?" Jack looked up just in time to get punched and earn himself a black eye. Angela took jack by his ear and Zack by his hair and marched them out to Cam.

"Cam! Did you know about this?"

"Er, well, Dr. Brennan figured it out," Cam said, looking around the lab. "So, yes, I knew." Angela became angrier and gripped harder, both Zack and Jack crying out in pain. Jack just had the terrible chance of looking over and seeing Zack's screwed up face.

"Dammit," he said, trying to turn away. Angela just got angrier and let go of Zack to punch Jack again.

"No, stop!" Zack said, holding onto Angela's arm.

"Why should I?"

"Because he's almost unconscious!"

Angela looked at Jack, now hanging from her hand. She dropped him and pulled on Zack's hair again. "When did this start?"

"Last night!"

"Really?" Angela let go and stared at Zack, surprised into calmness.

"Yes, and I would much appreciate it if you didn't pull on my hair." Zack said, rubbing his head.

"Never thought you would go that fast, Zack." At the comment he blushed a bright red, causing Jack, who was now sitting up on the floor, to laugh.

"He was completely sober too. And if you think he's cute now-,"

"Now that, that is too much information." Angela said, kicking Jack's leg.

"Why is Dr. Hodgins on the floor?" Brennan said, walking in.

"Angela beat him up." Zack said.

"Kiss up."

"You're the one with the broken nose."

Jack shut up and touched his nose, wincing.

"Need a ride?"

"I think I'll walk."

Jack got up and started for the door, shedding his lab coat and walking out.

"Oh, go with him, Zack. You're not going to be able to focus anyways." Brennan said. Zack smiled and ran after Jack, shedding his lab coat as well. The pair passed Booth on his way in, the timing of them passing coinciding nearly perfectly with Zack giving Jack a kiss.

"What the hell did I just walk past?" Booth asked.

"The newest lovebirds, sweetie." Angela said, walking away.

"Hang on, I thought Hodgins was with Ange," Booth said, looking over his shoulder, now confused.

"Well, not as of last night." Brennan said.

"I say just leave them. They're fine." Cam said.

"Yeah, I guess…" Booth trailed off.

**A/N: nearly 3,500 freaking words in this chapter…**

**Alright, thankee cwgirlup for reviewing. I need clarification on your request however, boy in a tree where it's the kid that got hanged, or boy in a bush with the foster kids?**

**And Zona, who has not reviewed but has told me that she likes. Any comments dearie?**


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